Pokemon Platinum: A Fair Maiden's Voyage
by pokecharmer007
Summary: After going through with one of Barry's ideas, Gwen finds herself setting off on a Pokemon Journey. But it's not always smooth sailing as she come across an evil organisation, Team Galactic. Can she and her Pokemon stop their plan? What is their plan? Does it have to the with the deities of time and space? Find out!
1. Chapter 1: I Choose You!

~Chapter 1: I choose you!~

"'Pokémon are by our side, always. I hope you will understand the meaning of those words.' That was the comment left by Professor Rowan, who has returned to Sinnoh from the Kanto region."

Sitting in front of the television, a young girl watched the finishing program in interest. She has long dark-brown hair down to her waist and teal-colored eyes, wearing a sleeve-less turtleneck dress in light-gold and dark leggings with knee-high boots. Over her dress is a long-sleeved black coat, a black ski-hat with a light-gold pokeball design and a light-blue scarf around her neck.

"That concludes our special program, 'Let's Ask Professor Rowan!' Brought to you by Jubilife TV on Nationwide Net! See you next week, same time, same channel!"

Looking out her bedroom window, she noticed that it stopped snowing so she decided to take her usual morning walk. After switching the TV off and straightening her coat, she moved towards the stairs, her white scarf fluttering behind her. She only managed to take a few steps before a blond haired, orange eyed boy about two years older than her burst into the room, nearly tripping on the stairs. He was wearing his favorite orange and white striped jacket along with grey pants while his own scarf, green in color and his brown shoulder bag whipped wildly around him. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, which made the girl inwardly groaned in exasperation. The eyes sparkling can only mean one thing; Barry had a very reckless idea.

"There you are!" He exclaimed, rushing up to her.

"Hello, Barry." the girl greeted back. Barry is her childhood friend and neighbor and the most hyperactive guy you can find, not to mention very impatient and also likes to rush in a hurry like as if an angry Rhyperior is chasing after him.

"Hey, Gwen! Did you just see the TV? Sure you did! Professor Rowan's that really important guy who studies Pokémon, right? That means he must have lots and lots of Pokémon. So, if we ask him, I bet he'd give us some Pokémon!"

"I don't think that's a good idea-" Gwen was then cut off when Barry spotted her new computer – a birthday gift from her father- and ran up to it, getting completely distracted from the current topic. It didn't bother her one bit; even the simplest things can distract him.

"Oh, hey! Is this a new PC?!" Without letting her answer, he forgot about the computer and continued speaking. "Uh… Where was I?" Barry moved to stand in front of Gwen again. "Oh, right, right! We're going to go see Professor Rowan and get some Pokémon. I'll be waiting outside. OK, Gwen? If you're late, I'm fining you $10 million!" Another thing, Barry seems to like randomly fining people for the silliest things, but thankfully because of his hyper-activeness, he didn't stay around to actually back up the threat.

Barry dashed off and disappeared down the stairs before Gwen could respond.

"Since when did I agree to go with him? Typical..." She said to herself before shrugging and went downstairs where her parents are watching television.

Her father, Galen, perked up when he saw her coming down and waved. Her mother, Lilian, smiled. "Hello, Gwen! Barry's already left. I don't know what it was about, but he sure was in a hurry!" Her blue eyes shone with amusement while she tucked a strand of raven hair behind her ear.

"When was he never in a hurry?" Gwen mumbled.

"Well, Palmer used to do that to me when we were kids, Lilian. Like father, like son, I suppose." Galen said as his trusted partner, an Infernape, rested beside him "Isn't that right, boy?" the Flame Pokémon chatted back a reply.

Gwen sighed as she made her way to the door. She hoped he hadn't already left town to go find the Professor, they've never left their peaceful little town of Twinleaf by themselves before, they always had an adult to accompany them and they never went quite as far as the next town, only to the nearby lake, Lake Verity. Gwen smiled at the thought; the two of them used to play a lot on that lake as it's the only place they can play safely since the wild Pokemon are very friendly.

Just before she cleared the doorway, Lilian called out to her. "Going out?"

"Yeah, Barry had one of his 'great' ideas." Gwen informed.

Galen chuckled. "OK, kid. You know the drill."

Gwen nodded, "Don't go into the tall grass. And don't wander too far."

"Unless you have your own Pokemon." Gwen nodded. "Alright, take care."

"Have fun, sweetie!" Lilian smiled.

Gwen nodded and closed the door behind her. She breathed in the wintry air before making her way towards Barry's house, her boots crunching into the thin layer of snow. "Professor Rowan, huh? He's the one who gives new trainers their Starter Pokemon, right? I wonder if I can go on a journey of my own like mom and dad?" she mused as she watched the Starly and Staravia flew overhead.

Everyday, Gwen had seen many ten year old kids start their journey after they visited Professor Rowan. She loved Pokemon and wants to learn more about them but she didn't feel like starting a Pokemon journey, unlike Barry who just wants to be like his dad.

Gwen reached out a hand to open the door but before she could, it flew open and…

**THUD!**

Barry crashed into her, nearly knocking her to the ground if not for him steadying her.

Barry blinked in shock. "What was that about?!" He squawked before he realized who he'd bumped into. He let her go and grinned.

"Oh, hey, Gwen!" Barry greeted. "Hey! I'm going to see Professor Rowan! You should come, too! And quickly!" He started to run off again before doubling back. "Oh, jeez! Forgot something!" He exclaimed loudly, rushing back inside.

Gwen sighed. She should have seen that coming. "Honestly, Barry. For someone who is two years older than me, you sure don't act like one." With a resigned sign, Gwen opened the door and entered. Barry's mother greeted her with a smile, not looking at all bothered that she had just invited herself in. Seeing the two are best of friends since childhood, and Barry doing the barging into her home on a daily basis.

"Oh, hi, Gwen. Did you come calling on Barry? He was gone for a second, but then he came running right back home. He just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?" She mused, though Gwen knows the mother knew the answer. "Barry's upstairs, though I'm not sure what's he up to today."

Gwen excused herself and went upstairs into Barry's room. He was sitting in front of his own computer, mumbling to himself while shuffling around the desk and tucking things in his bag.

"…I'd better take my Bag and Journal, too…" Gwen waited for him to notice her. Barry turned towards her a split second later. "Oh, hey, Gwen! I'll be waiting on the road! It's a $10 million fine if you're late!" Gwen moved out of Barry's way as he sprinted down the stairs and leaving the house not a second later.

"I wonder if he even knows the meaning of 'wait'?" she groaned as she walked calmly down the stairs, said goodbye to his mother and gently closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, she was walking up Route 201 to Barry who was staring impatiently at her, an annoyed frown on his face.

"Too slow!" He complained before his face brightened and a wide smile took over his face. You would think he's a bit bipolar at this time. "Alright! Let's get moving to Professor Rowan's lab." He led Gwen up to the tall grass where she stopped, a worried frown tugging on her lips. Barry turned towards her, confused, his head tilted slightly.

"What's up?"

"Barry, you know what our parents told us? We're not allowed to walk into tall grasses, or the wild Pokemon might attack us. We don't have a Pokemon with us, remember? It'll be a different story if we're going to Lake Verity but..." Gwen reasoned.

"No worries! No problem! It doesn't matter that we don't have any Pokémon. Trust me on this one. I've got an idea!" That just made her more worried, Barry's ideas usually didn't end that well. Just ask their parents, or any of their neighbors. And besides, didn't their parents emphasized on the 'No going into grasses' rule? "Now listen. You know how wild Pokémon jump out when you go into tall grass?" Gwen nodded apprehensively. "So, what you do is, you scoot over to the next patch of grass before any wild Pokémon can appear! If we just keep dashing, we can get to Sandgem Town without running into wild Pokémon!"

He grinned as if his plan was flawless, but Gwen was pretty sure the Pokémon hidden in the grass were faster than them, so they wouldn't be able to avoid them like Barry thinks.

"Barry, I don't think-" But of course, she was cut off.

"OK, stick with me!" Gwen watched with worry as the orange eyed boy backed up and prepared to sprint through the grass. "OK, here goes! On your marks…" He mumbled. Gwen opened her mouth as he dashed forward, but before he could go into the grass, and before Gwen could say or do something to get him to stop, someone shouted from behind them.

**"HOLD IT!"**

Barry skidded to a stop next to the brown haired girl, nearly tripping over his own feet. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. Both kids turned to where the yell came from and spotted a stern looking older man striding swiftly towards them, arms folded behind his back. Gwen's eyes widened slightly, she knew who this man was! What luck, to run into him right outside their little town!

He stopped in front of Barry and eyed them both. "You two don't seem to have any Pokémon between you?" The two shook their heads. "Then, what is the meaning of going into the tall grass?!" He demanded.

Barry shuffled in place and explained why they –more like he, Gwen thought- had tried to go into the tall grass despite the dangers. The only time Gwen had seen Barry acted like this is when he unexpectedly brought danger (in a form of a flock of nesting Starly after Barry had unintentionally disturbed their nests) towards Gwen and she almost drowned in Lake Verity if it weren't for her mother's Lumineon. They were about five or six years old and Barry got the scolding of a lifetime.

The Professor's stern gaze flicked between the two of them after Barry had finished his explanation.

"Hey, Gwen. This old guy… It's Professor Rowan, isn't it?" She nodded. "What's he doing here…?" He whispered.

"Um... Pokemon research?"

They turned to the Professor when he suddenly moved a small distance away, his back to them. They exchanged confused looks.

"…They tried to go into the tall grass because they wanted Pokémon…" The two heard him murmur. "Hmm… What to do…? Their world would surely change if they were to meet Pokémon… Is it right for me to put them on that path…?"

He approached them again. "You two. You truly love Pokémon, do you?"

"Yes." she said simply.

"Me, too!" Barry nearly yelled. "I love Pokémon, too!"

Neither of the two friends could guess what he was thinking, his stern gaze and hard features gave nothing away. "I will ask you once again. You two. You truly love Pokémon, do you?" He repeated.

"What?! You can ask a hundred times! The answer will never change! We'll both answer a hundred times, we love Pokémon!" Barry declared confidently. He turned towards his quiet friend. "Right, Gwen?"

"Yes." She nodded firmly.

Rowan's face didn't change. "…A pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to enter tall grass without Pokémon of their own…?" He muttered to himself. "It worries me what people like that would do with Pokémon."

"…Uh… Well, I, uh…" Barry stuttered nervously. "…Well, then forget about me, but give a Pokémon to my friend here!" Gwen swear she had broke her neck at the speed she turned. "I mean, it was me who tried to go into the tall grass and all…" And now she felt guilty, but the professor spoke before she could say anything.

"How big of you…" A bit of surprise leaked into his voice. He straightened slightly. "Very well, then! I will entrust you two with Pokémon! I apologize for putting you through that exercise." Gwen looked at him with relief, she didn't ruin Barry's chance of getting a Pokémon after all! "However! You must promise me that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again." That was something the both of them had no problem with agreeing to. "Now then… Hm? Now, where…?" Rowan looked around before two teens about their age came walking up from the direction that the professor had originally came from.

One is a girl with long blue hair that has pink clips and equally blue eyes. She wore a red coat with four pink buttons, pink boots and a white scarf around her neck. She also wore a white beanie with a pink pokeball symbol. By her side is a tote bag.

The other is a boy with eyes, from what the duo could tell, seem to be a brown/grey color. He wore black pants, a blue and black jacket over a red shirt and he also had a white scarf tied around his neck. On the top of his head was a red hat which hid his hair. He also seem to be carrying a briefcase, along with his back pack.

"Professor Rowan!" the boy called, halting in front of said person. He looked at the two with curiosity. He then turned back the only adult of the group.

"You left your briefcase behind at the lake." the girl said as the boy set down the case next to him. "Is something wrong here?" she asked.

"Ah! There it is! Lucas and Dawn, nice work."

'So the briefcase was what the Professor was looking for earlier.' Gwen thought.

"What I was about to do was to entrust these two with their own Pokémon." Rowan informed him. The two teens stared at him in shock.

"Wha…?! Those Pokémon are crucial. You're giving them away?" Lucas said incredulously.

"Hm! We exist side by side with Pokémon. There comes a time when people should meet Pokémon. There is a world that should be explored together. For them, today is that time. This place, right now." Rowan half lectured/half explained. He turned back to Gwen and Barry who stared at him in amazement. "Go on! Open the briefcase and choose a Pokémon!"

"Really?! Professor Rowan! I can't believe it! I'm so happy now that I can't keep a straight face!" Just like he was saying, a wide smile covered his face and he was practically vibrating in excitement. In the complete contrast, Gwen was able to keep her smile from breaking into a wide grin the size of a Glameow's head. Barry turned to Gwen. "Hey, Gwen. You can choose first."

"...Really? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm practically a grown-up. I have to show some class here." He said, only half joking. Gwen nodded and moved towards the briefcase. Dawn opened it as soon as she knelt down in front of it.

Three red and white balls rolled around in the opened case. Lucas grabbed each one and opened them. The first one was a small orange one with a small tuft of hair curling down its face and with a small fire tail. The second was a small blue penguin. The third was a small green tortoise, it had a leaf on its head and a brown shell on its back.

"This one," Dawn indicated to the orange one. "is called Chimchar, he's an energetic little fire type. This one," she pointed to the small penguin. "is called Piplup. He's a little stubborn and proud, but once you gain his respect he'll defend you to his last breath. And this one," she pointed to the green one "is named Turtwig. He's a bit lazy but a strong fighter."

Gwen furrowed her brow in concentration before turning to Barry who is beaming at her. He was standing on her right and looking over her shoulder while Lucas was crouching down on her other side and Dawn just right behind the case lid. Rowan remained where he was but was also watching.

Gwen looked down at the Pokemon again. Chimchar did a small back-flip that made her giggle, she looked at Piplup who had puffed out his chest so much that he fell backwards causing the brunette to burst into another fit of giggles. Turtwig gave out a lazy yawn before trotting towards her and rested himself by her leg.

"Wow, Turtwig never does that before." Dawn informed.

"Yeah, usually he just sleeps on the spot." Lucas said.

Gwen looked down at the sleepy Turtwig and made up her mind. "Alright, I choose you! I'm picking this Turtwig."

"Good choice." Barry said as he went up and looked at the remaining two. After a long time of deciding, Barry knelt and when he came up, on his shoulder was the Chimchar.

"Very well! Both of you have chosen a good Pokémon, it seems. Now, listen well! The Pokémon you have been entrusted with are unfamiliar with the world. In that regard, they're much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now, we'll be on our way." Rowan nodded, strode into the grass and disappeared from sight.

"Professor! Wait for us!" Lucas shouted as he closed the case. "Uh, sorry, folks." He mumbled and followed after the professor with Dawn.

The duo watched as they too disappeared into the distance. "How do you like that? Professor Rowan's really nice." Barry noted with surprise. "On TV, he seems so stern and scary." Gwen completely agreed with him on that. She watched in amusement as he finally exploded in excitement, bursting into, what she like to dub as, his Barry Dance.

Barry rushed up to her, eyes gleaming. She grinned back, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Heheh, Gwen! We've both got Pokémon now. There's only one thing to do, right? Are you up for this?" She nodded, eyes sending a clear message._ Bring it on_. Barry's grin widened. "I've always wanted to say this…"

They both backed away from each other and tensed.

"The time has finally come! Gwendolyn!" He shouted, pointing a finger at her. "I challenge you to a battle!"

* * *

**OK, so here's the first chapter of 'Pokemon Platinum: A Fair Maiden's Voyage'. Now I know it's a little early for this but I'm putting up a poll on my profile so you can vote what evolution my Eevee is going to evolve into. And please no Sylveon unless you know the evolution method.**


	2. Chapter 2: start of a new Journey

~Chapter 2: Start of a Journey~

Gwen gripped her Poke Ball tightly as Barry threw his, Chimchar emerging from the enlarged ball with a cry. She grinned in excitement and copied his actions, Turtwig landing in front of the Chimp Pokémon with a cry of his own, no longer the lazy tortoise.

"Chimchar, Scratch!" Barry commanded.

Chimchar leapt forward quickly with its fingers ready to scratch, Gwen quickly yelled "Dodge it, Turtwig!"

Turtwig nodded and jumped back, causing the scratch to miss. "Tackle it while it's near!"

Turtwig quickly ran forward and tackled the Chimp pokemon, causing it to stumble back. "What! Oh, that's it! Come on, Chimchar! Let's show them what we're made of." Barry raged from the side. "Use Scratch and Leer!"

"Tackle again!" Gwen said.

Turtwig managed to land the attack but let his defense down and gave Chimchar a perfect opening. "Scratch!" Barry said which Chimchar obeyed and followed.

"Turt!" Turtwig cried in pain as Chimchar scratched across his face.

"Turtwig!" Gwen cried. But luckily Turtwig got back to his feet and charged right into Chimchar as hard as he could, and sent him flying into a tree opposite of him. "I did it." The girl muttered in disbelief.

"What are you saying?! We ended up losing?!" Barry stared at Chimchar in shock before he sighed and returned his partner to his Poke Ball.

"I won. We won!" Gwen corrected as Turtwig rushed up to her, looking pleased. She laughed and returned him to his own ball after giving him a hug. Barry looked disappointed and handed her some prize money. The blond let go of his ire and smiled at her.

"Whew! Let's go home. I'm beat after that battle. My Pokemon needs rest, too." He suggested. Gwen nodded in complete agreement, blushing as her stomach rumbled loudly. Barry laughed as his own stomach rumbled as well.

"It is lunch time." Gwen noted with surprise. She didn't think that they were gone that long; half the day's already past!

Barry grinned at her. "See ya, Gwen!" He dashed towards his house as the brunette made her own way back home, stomach rumbling again.

**XXXX**

Gwen watched as Lilian finished cleaning the kitchen of their lunch mess with her Reuniclus and Galen's Infernape. The father was sitting by the living room couch and noticed how distracted his daughter is.

"What's the matter, kiddo?" he asked. Gwen then told her parents what had happened earlier that day. They listened attentively with surprise. "Wow. That's what happened to you? You and Barry are lucky to have met Professor Rowan." Lilian said sternly. Gwen dropped her gaze to the floor, not seeing her mother's eyes soften. "Imagine if you didn't…" She murmured softly. Guilt welled up inside the young girl. "I wouldn't like to think what the wild Pokémon might have down to you two."

"I'm sorry." Gwen mumbled guiltily.

Her mother smiled gently, patting her ski cap covered hair. She silently accepted the apology.

"Although I'm proud that you're trying to be responsible for you and Barry's safety, after what happened last time." Galen said. "But please, be more careful."

"Yes, dad."

"Well then, I heard that you're given a Pokemon, right?" Gwen nodded and released her partner from its confinement onto the kitchen table. Turtwig gave out another lazy yawn before leaping onto Gwen's lap and snuggled himself in. "Well now, that's one cuddly Pokemon you got there."

"Grass-Type, huh?" Lilian mused. "That completes the Starter-Types in this family. Isn't that right, Dew?" Lilian said to her Samurott who nodded in agreement. "Although Dew isn't the region's starter."

Gwen then remembered her mother once lived in another region, some place called Unova, where she first started her own journey before coming to Sinnoh for another journey where she met her father.

"Gwen, go see Professor Rowan, and thank him properly for your Pokémon. His lab is in Sandgem Town, isn't it? Now that you have your own Pokémon, the tall grass won't be so threatening." Gwen nodded. She did think of going to Sandgem Town and thanked the professor for Turtwig, after all.

"Ok, I'm off." Dawn said. "See you later."

**XXXX**

Gwen spotted Barry on Route 201 even before leaving town. Wondering what's he waiting for, she walked up to him. "Too slow! Gwen, I'm sick of waiting!" He groaned in annoyance. "I'm going to go see Professor Rowan, so I can thank him properly." Barry told her.

"Hah..." She blinked in confusion.

"So, I had this great idea. Listen up, ok?"

Gwen sweat-dropped. 'Your 'great' ideas will be the death of me, someday...'

"You know that lake where we always play at? You know how they say a legendary Pokémon lives there?"

Gwen nodded slowly, already knowing what his plan is. "You want to catch it." She stated more then asked.

Barry pointed at her. "You guessed it!" He declared. "Let's catch that Pokémon. That'll make Professor Rowan happy. I'm sure of that!" It seems Professor Rowan has earned Barry –and hers- complete respect. Barry stepped closer to her. "Me and you together, we've got nothing to fear!"

Before she could protest or anything, Barry had already dragged her to the lake. "Alright! We're at the lake!" Barry said, stating the obvious. His eyes sparkled happily. Gwen tried to mention that she doubted they could catch this 'Legendary Pokémon'. They didn't even have anything to catch Pokémon with. "Get ready, because we're capturing that legendary Pokémon." But of course, that fell into deaf ears. "Trust me on this one. It's here. It even says so on the sign!"

He pushed her forward to get her moving. As soon as the lake came into sight they stopped. A strangely dressed man stood in front of the lake. He had spiky blue hair, a lighter color then Dawn's navy blue. "What's going on…?" Barry whispered to her. She shook her head. The two heard him talking and eavesdropped.

"…The flowing time… …The expanding space… I will make it mine one day… Cyrus is my name. Remember it… Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokémon of the lake bed…" The man, Cyrus, turned around and walked towards them. "Allow me to pass. Step aside." He commanded, face completely emotionless. The two teens moved out of the way and watched him leave. The girl hoped that she never runs into him again, he was intimidating and gave her the creeps.

Barry moved back next to her. "What was that about? Weird guy…" He looked a bit unnerved, not that she blamed him.

"Weird is a bit of an understatement." She muttered under her breath.

Barry's enthusiasm returned. "OK! Let's catch that legendary Pokémon!" Before they could move a muscle, a strange cry reached them.

"Kyauuun!"

Barry ran forward, looked around wildly and ran back to her. "Did you hear that, Gwen?!"

Gwen nodded at Barry. "I heard it." She said.

"That was the legendary Pokémon crying! That had to be it! OK! This is our chance! Let's catch it!" Gwen sighed as she, again, tried to mention that they didn't have anything to capture. Finally, it sets into the blonde's brain. "…Wait! What…?! We don't have anything on us! You know, Poke Balls! P-O-K-accent-E Balls! If we don't have those, we can't catch Pokémon or take them around with us!"

Gwen raised a brow, her eyes conveying her hidden words, 'Ya think?'

An idea popped up in Barry's mind. Gwen could practically see the light bulb. "…Do you think Professor Rowan'd give us some if we asked him?"

"I think he might."

"He did say to visit him at his lab if we needed anything. OK, Gwen! I'll race you!" He cheered.

"Wait-"

Barry cut her off. "First one to the professor's lab in Sandgem Town rules!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Dawn stared at his disappearing back blankly. "Geez..." she huffed in annoyance as she ran after him.

**XXXX**

Gwen had just released her Turtwig so he could have a bit of fresh air, though the Tiny Leaf Pokemon seem to like resting in her arms than walking.

"Man, you're one relaxed Pokemon, aren't you?" Gwen teased, earning a "Twig!".

After travelling through Route 201 and battling a few wild Bidoofs and Starlys, Gwen finally made it to Sandgem Town. There, she found Dawn and Lucas standing by a larger building. Dawn was the first to notice her.

"Hi! I've been waiting for you! Please, come with us." she said cheerfully. "The Professor's waiting to meet you."

Gwen nodded, "Alright."

The two teens led her to the front of the building. "See? This is our Pokémon Research Lab." Lucas said proudly. "Your friend, Barry, came by just a few minutes ago. Boy, was he in a hurry."

"You have no idea." Gwen mumbled.

"We'll just go ahead and…"

**"THUD!"**

Dawn trailed off as the door slammed open and Barry burst out, once again bumping into Gwen who managed to steady herself, not wanting to accidentally hurt Turtwig. "What the…" He started. "Oh, it's you, Gwen! That old guy…" Dawn huffed in annoyance. "He's not scary so much as he is totally out there! Aww, it doesn't matter. I'm out of here. See you later!" He ran off again.

"Hey! At least apologize when you bump into a girl!" Dawn shouted after him. "What was that about?!"

"You'll get used to it as time goes by." Gwen informed. "He may seem like that but really, Barry's a pretty nice guy."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Dawn huffed.

"You'll have to forgive my sister. She can be a bit antsy at times. Anyway… Let's go in." Gwen nodded and followed him inside with Dawn. She glanced around with interest, a few people lingered around the wide room while machines beeped and flashed. Lucas led her to the back, where Rowan was patiently watching their approach. Gwen stopped in front of him as Lucas and Dawn stood by her sides.

"Well, well, look who's here. Gwendolyn, was it?" He questioned.

"Gwen, for short." She corrected.

"Let's have a look at your Pokémon." Gwen nodded and held out the Tiny Leaf Pokemon who became alert after Barry crashed into Gwen just now. Rowan watched the Pokémon intently and gave a thoughtful huff. "…Hmm… I see…" He muttered. "This Pokémon seems to be rather happy. Aren't you, Turtwig?"

"Tur! Twig!" the Pokemon chirped as he snuggled against the brunette's cheek.

"Hm! Entrusting you with that Turtwig was no mistake, it seems!" A bit of his sternness faded from his eyes. Gwen guessed that he was worried that he had given the Pokémon to the wrong people. She was glad to prove him wrong if that was the case. She noticed Lucas' and Dawn's shoulders relaxing and noted that they must have been thinking along the same lines as the Professor.

'Not surprised though. With how reckless we were moments ago, Prof. Rowan would have been worried.'

"Well, would you like to give it a nickname?" Rowan asked. "Many trainers I came across usually give nicknames to their Pokemon. Either to distinguish them from others, and to create a much stronger bond."

"Um..." Gwen felt uncertain. Even though she only knew this Turtwig for, what? An hour or so, she felt an instant connection with the Pokemon. But would it want to be nicknamed? "What do you think?"

The tortoise Pokemon made a cheerful "Twig!", meaning a "Yes!"

"Alright. Um, how about..." Gwen wasn't that good with names, but when she saw the little sprout on its head, she thought of a name. "Nae? It means 'Sprout'."

"Twig!" The Grass Pokemon chirped again, liking the name.

"Hmm... An excellent name, Gwen!" He nodded slightly in acknowledgement. "When I first saw you two about to step into the tall grass without Pokémon, I was shocked." Gwen's cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment as she picked up Nae. A quick glance at the two siblings told her that the Professor had probably already told them of what they –or Barry- had tried to do. Lucas didn't look surprised at all, and was frowning at her while Dawn looked with worry. She dropped her gaze. "I was astounded by these foolhardy children." His voice softened a fraction. "But now, you've astounded me in an entirely different way."

"Eh?" Gwen looked up to the professor.

"Already, there is a bond growing between you and that Pokémon. I feel privileged to have met you." Her eyes widened as he inclined his head slightly.

"_Oh wow. The professor actually respected someone. Now that's saying something._" Dawn whispered to her brother.

"_Yeah, it's hard and difficult to earn his respect. And yet, this girl just earned it when the professor just met her in only a day._" Lucas whispered back.

"Uh-Uh, I should be the one feeling privileged to meet you, sir!" Gwen panicked as she bowed deeply, almost dropping Nae, and straightening up. "I actually came here to thank you for giving me Nae, and giving me a chance as a Pokemon trainer."

"I'm sure Nae feels the same way about you. That's why I'll ask you to cherish that Turtwig of yours."

"Yes, sir!"

Lucas shook his head and turned to her. "Boy, am I glad you're kind toward Pokémon." He said with relief.

"Yeah, if you weren't, well… I don't even want to think about it." Dawn shuddered.

"Er-Hem!" Rowan cleared his throat to get their attention. "Let's move on the main topic. There is something I want you to do for me. Allow me to properly introduce myself first. My name, as you know, is Rowan. I study Pokémon. First of all, I want to know exactly what kinds of Pokémon live in the Sinnoh region." He explained. Gwen listened curiously while Lucas and Dawn looked bored, but both maintained an expression of interest. She guessed that they'd heard this multiple time before. "To do so, it is necessary to collect data using the Pokédex." Gwen blinked in confusion, "This is what I wish to ask of you. I want to entrust you with this Pokédex. Will you use it to record data on all the Pokémon in Sinnoh for me?"

Excitement brewed inside of her but she kept it maintained as she broke into a smile. "I'll do my best, sir!"

"Hm! Good answer!" He handed her the Pokédex that she hadn't known he was holding. "That Pokédex is a very high-tech device. It will automatically record data on every kind of Pokémon you encounter. Dawn, I ask you go everywhere and meet every kind of Pokémon in this region!"

"We've got the same kind of Pokédex as you." Lucas smiled as he and Dawn held up said pieces of tech. Gwen glanced at them. Where hers was light-gold, Lucas was a nice shade of red while Dawn was a light-pink.

"When you walked up Route 201 with your Pokémon, what did you feel?" The Professor questioned.

Gwen thought for a moment before replying. "Thrilling..." She simply said.

Rowan nodded slowly, looking lost in memories. "I've lived for 60 long years. Even now, I get a thrill when I'm with a Pokémon." He blinked and focused on her again. "Now, you should know that there are countless Pokémon in this world. That means there are just as many thrills waiting for you out there! Now go!" He commanded. "Gwen, your grand adventure begins right now!"

Lucas spoke up before she could move an inch. "The professor asked us to help, so we're filling the Pokédex pages, too."

"That makes us comrades working toward the same goal." Dawn added. "We'll teach you stuff later, Ok?"

"Um, thank you." Gwen said as the siblings walked out of the lab before turning back to the professor. "Thank you again." She bowed her head at Rowan and followed after the two.

Once outside, Gwen saw Dawn and Lucas waiting for her but before a word could be uttered, the door flew open again and Rowan appeared with a loud call of, "Gwen!" The three teens flinched in surprise. "I have something good here. You should take this as well." He passed a disk to her. Gwen saw this disk a lots of time when her parents sent a few of these disks back to Unova, her mother's homeland, saying it's for her cousins, Hilda and Hilbert since they're starting their own Pokemon Journey. "That is a Technical Machine. That one contains the move Return. Using a Technical Machine, or TM for short, teaches a move instantly to a Pokémon."

"Ah! So this is a TM." Gwen whispered in understanding.

"Bear in mind, however, that a TM is single-use only." Rowan warned her. "The move Return gains power the more friendly your Pokémon is with you. It's up to you, of course, if you want to use that TM or not." He said calmly. "I'll send you off with the wish that your journey will be fun." Rowan turned and re-entered his Lab, leaving the three teens blinking dumbly at the now closed door.

"Well, I'll be… The professor had TMs…?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Who would have thought?" Dawn shrugged. "Next thing he'll tell us, he battled when he was young." she quipped.

"Well, that could be a possibility." Gwen giggled.

Lucas' eyes lit up suddenly. "Hey, Gwen! Follow me! I want to show you a few things." Lucas gently grabbed her hand and led them to the building next to the Lab, it had a red roof and a Poke Ball symbol above the door. "This building with the red roof is the Pokémon Center. You can get your Pokémon healed if it's been hurt in battle." Lucas explained. "You'll find a Pokémon Center in most towns."

She wanted to ask about those that don't when she realized Twinleaf Town doesn't have one but her parents helped healed Nae back to health. Should that count? Lucas then dragged her to another, not noticing the uncomfortable look on Gwen's face and the contemplative look on Dawn's.

"Over here, the building with the blue roof is the Poke Mart. It's a shop where you can buy and sell all sorts of items. Gwen, since you're a rookie Trainer, you won't be able to buy very much stuff." He said apologetically. Gwen at first was confused before realizing he meant money problem. Her only earnings was from the battle with Barry, after all, and that didn't add up to much. "Don't worry about it, Ok?" Something seemed to occur to him. "Oh, yeah, right! Gwen…" His voice gentled. "You should let your family know you're helping Professor Rowan put together his Pokedex."

Teal eyes widened a bit at the realization. "Sometimes, you have to go far away, so you should let someone know. Oh, but first, go heal up your Pokémon at the Pokémon Center. You'll be safe then. Ok, be seeing you! Come one, Dawn! We still need to help the professor!" He strode off before she could thank him.

"Hey, Lucas! Wait up!" Dawn shouted. "See you soon, Gwen." Dawn hugged the brunette before following after her brother.

"..." the brunette watched their retreating backs before entering the Pokemon Center to heal up Nae. "...Journey through Sinnoh, huh? Looks like we're in for a big adventure, Nae."

"Twig!" Nae chirped as they entered the center. Meanwhile, back with the siblings, Dawn had finally caught up with her brother and still held on her contemplative look which Lucas finally noticed.

"What's wrong, Dawn?" he asked his sister as he checked the Town Map. "We have to get to Jubilife City before nightfall."

"Lucas." she called out. "Do you like Gwen?"

"Huh?" the boy stopped in his tracks and turned to his sibling. "Like? Well, she is kind and caring towards Turtwig, or Nae now. And she didn't seem to strike me as the bossy or violent type either so, yeah, I like her." he answered with a smile before turning his attention back to the map.

Dawn sighed as she shook her head at her brother. "That is not what I meant. Geez, Lucas. You really need to get out more."

* * *

**And that ends the second chapter! The poll for my Eevee's evolution is still open so make a vote at my profile! Right now, Espeon is in the lead!**

**Espeon: 2**

**Leafeon: 1**

**Others: 0**


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